Changes 2
by FatherFigure
Summary: A drunken Genma leaves a battered, semi-conscious Ranma laying in the dirt and takes the victor with him as the new heir of the Saotome school of Anything Goes martial arts. Disowned by Nodoka, ignored by Soun, Ranma will soon be living on the streets. He doesn't know it but it may be the best thing that could have happened.
1. Chapter 1

THROWN AWAY

Genma belched in satisfaction at the fine meal he had just eaten. The alcoholic buzz from the beers and sake he had with his meal just made his satisfaction greater. The sight he saw when he returned to where Ranma waited for him changed his satisfaction to disgust. He looked down at his semi-conscious, bruised and bleeding son while listening to the winner shout in victory. Scribbling a short note, he pinned it to Ranma's gi. Genma motioned to the winner to follow him as he turned and left Ranma laying in the dirt.

He said, "Stick with me and I'll make you the best martial artist in the world...son."

Soun waited for someone to answer the ringing telephone when he remember he was the only one awake. Walking to the hall table, he lifted the receiver and answered the call.

"Hello. Is this the Tendo Dojo?"

"Yes, it is. May I ask who you are?"

"Pardon me for not giving you my name. I am Sister Sayuri at the Saint Assisi convent in Itabashi ward."

"I am Tendo Soun. How may I help you, Sister?"

"A young man was found beaten and unconscious in an empty lot nearby. We tendered what care we could but he needed to be sent to Itabashi General Hospital."

"While I am saddened to hear of his condition, I still have no idea of what help I can provide you."

"A note was attached to his clothing, a gi, I believe it is called. It was barely legible but I was able to make out anything goes. I assumed he was a martial artist and looked in the phone book where I found your dojo listed. Is he a student of yours?"

"You must have an old phone book. I stopped teaching two years ago, so I doubt he is a student of mine. I will visit him at the hospital sometime tomorrow to try to solve your mystery. Will that be of help?"

"Yes, thank you. I'm concerned that his parents are unaware of his condition and location. If his parents aren't located, he may be placed with Social Services."

After exchanging good nights and hanging up, Soun walked to the living room and sat on the couch before the TV. Barely watching the program, he considered various students he had trained but couldn't remember a young man. He had usually trained adult self-defense, police officers and his daughter. Looking at the time, he turned off the TV and went to bed.

Dr. Tofu Ono was making a follow-up visit on one of his patients who had been transferred to Itabashi General from Nerima General. Reading his patient's chart while standing at the nurses station he suddenly heard a loud clanging noise followed by boy's cracking voice yelling for food. Sprinting down the hall, Tofu entered the room and coldly stared at the occupant until there was silence. The boy defiantly stared back but after bit he glanced away from Tofu's gaze.

In a surly tone, the boy asked, "What do you want, Old Man?"

Tofu replied sternly, "Common courtesy for starters. This is a hospital. There are other patients here that need quiet so they can recuperate from surgery."

"So, let me go. I didn't ask to come here. I would have been fine. Pops...," the boy speech trailed off as unshed tears welled in his eyes.

"Pops? Is that your father?" Tofu asked softly.

Wiping his eyes with the sleeve of the gown, the boy screamed, "He's nobody. I don't have a father. I don't need him. I don't need anybody!"

Tofu watched as the boy drew his knees to his chest, wrapped his arms around his knees and began rocking back and forth. He heard the boy whispering, "Nobody", over and over. Tofu sat next to the boy and put his arm around his shoulder. The boy stiffened, then started sobbing.

"I'm sorry," he sobbed. "It's not manly to cry but I'm scared."

"Bullshit," said Tofu. "A man can be scared, worried, happy or sad. Whoever said men don't cry is an idiot." (Genma wiped his nose on his sleeve after sneezing.) "But what are you scared of?"

"I don't have anywhere to go. Where will I live?"

"Well, how about your mother?"

"I...I think...she's dead."

"Whats her name?"

"I...don't know. P...Pops took me on a training trip when I was little."

Tofu was starting to get a bad feeling. This boy's story was sounding familiar. He had an idea who he was but needed his name to verify his theory. Standing up, he retrieved the patient chart at the foot of the bed which listed the boy as John Doe. Spotting a backpack in the closet, he walked over and looked for any identifying markings. There on the flap was a stenciled rearing horse. Returning to the side of the bed, he sat on the visitor's chair and looked at the boy.

"The hospital would appreciate it if you would give them your name."

The boy looked away and didn't answer. Tofu sighed and considered how to get the boy to open up to him.

"My name is Tofu Ono. I am a doctor and a pretty good martial artist in my own humble opinion. I understand you are a martial artist too. What school do you follow?"

"I was a martial artist. Not anymore," was the hoarsely whispered reply.

"Why wouldn't you want to continue?"

"Why? You want to know why?" relied the boy in tones rising to a scream. "Because my sensei abandoned me in an empty lot. My father tossed me aside as worthless trash. That's why!"

Tofu quickly reached out and touched a few points on the back of Ranma's neck to calm him.

"There are other schools you could follow."

"My school was the best...I was going to be the best...the best," came the sobbing reply.

"Ranma."

"Ho...how do..you know my name?"

"Because the note mentioned anything goes. You're evidently trained in martial arts from the calluses on your hands and feet. There are only two schools of anything goes that I've heard of. Grandmaster Happosai trained only two students, Soun Tendo and Genma Saotome. Soun has the Tendo school of anything goes martial arts. He has three daughters. Genma has the Saotome school of anything goes martial arts. His only student was his son, Ranma. The last I heard from Soun was that Genma left on a ten year training trip with his son. His mother hasn't seen them since."

"M..moth...mother...you know my mother...she's alive...?"

At that point, injuries and shock caused Ranma to do an unmanly thing...he fainted.

"Hmmm, it's still early morning. Nodoka should be at home, I'll try giving her a call."

Ranma gradually became aware of several things: his right hand was in a vise, the ceiling had sprung a leak and soaked his shirt and the wind was moaning outside. Coming fully awake, he realized he was mistaken when he looked at his chest to find a sobbing woman had placed her face there.

"Nodoka...Nodoka...Ranma is awake."

Ranma saw the woman turn her face towards his. She sat up and dried her eyes with a tissue then leaned over and gently kissed his forehead. She leaned back and looked at him. He looked at her and worked up his courage to ask if she was his mother. Unfortunately, she got her questions off first.

"Are you Ranma Saotome?"

"Uh...yes."

"You sound unsure of your answer. Who are you?"

"Ranma Saotome"

Tofu listened in disbelief as she interrogated Ranma.

"How old are you?"

"Thirteen, I think."

"You think, don't you know?"

"I don't know for sure. I never had a birthday celebration. I don't even know what month its in."

"Nonsense, Genma promised to raise you properly. He certainly would have celebrated your birthday...if you are Ranma."

Tofu motioned for Nodoka to come into the hallway for a private conversation. Reigning in his emotions to be able to speak calmly was hard but he managed.

"Nodoka, what are you doing? We can verify who he is by the footprint on his birth certificate."

"Unfortunately, he was home birthed, so the certificate has no footprint."

"Why are you so sure that boy isn't Ranma."

"Because in the morning mail, I received a postcard from Genma stating he and Ranma had just departed for China and would return in three years. So, if Ranma is with Genma, who is this person posing as my son?"

"Nodoka, the police had contacted the school he was in and verified his identity. The landlord verified Ranma was staying there with a man named Genma Saotome."

"Why would Genma need an apartment in another ward when he has a house in Nerima?"

"I don't know why but maybe Ranma can answer that."

They went back into the room. Tofu stood next to Ranma's bed while Nodoka sat in a chair across the room. Tofu couldn't believe she was actually distancing herself from Ranma. Nodoka had a neutral expression on her face as she gazed at Ranma. Tofu could feel Ranma emotionally shutting down, it was all he could do to keep from grabbing Nodoka and shaking some sense into her. Nodoka was treating her son as if he was on trial and she was the prosecutor. Hell, she was the judge, jury and executioner to boot. Nodoka began grilling...er...questioning Ranma some more.

"Describe your father's appearance."

"Well, he's bald and kinda fat. Wears a bandana all the time to cover his head and has round lens glasses. His height is about shoulder high on the doc here."

"Why do you say he's fat?"

"Well, if you painted him green and made his earlobes longer, he'd be a dead ringer for Buddha."

Both adults became tight lipped. Tofu because he was trying not to laugh at Ranma's description. Nodoka because she was becoming furious with this imposter.

"Why is he so fat?"

"Pfft...he's always stealing food off my plate saying its speed training. If I'm not fast enough to keep him away I deserve to starve he says."

"Why did you live in that apartment? Genma knew he had a house in the next ward."

"I dunno. Pops...He said he needed to earn enough money for the China trip. The way he spent it on food and booze as fast as he earned it kept us there long enough for me to get a whole term of school. Longest time I ever spent in a school. I was even starting to make friends. I even had a sparring partner, of course, he wasn't better..."

Tofu saw Ranma draw his knees up to his chest again and rest his head against his knees. He heard Ranma sob softly, so did Nodoka. She looked at him with disgust and left the room. Tofu quickly followed and called out to her. Nodoka turned with a furious look on her face. Tofu looked around and saw an empty office. Motioning her to follow, Tofu entered the office but did not close the door. Before he could say anything, Nodoka slapped his face.

In a hoarse whisper she said, "How dare you! How dare you raise my hopes with a lying imposter! I thought I had my son back but the way he described Genma doesn't resemble the man I love and married. So, no, that...that...no, he is no son of mine. If he was my son, I'd be his second."

Tofu blinked and blurted out, "Why?"

"Genma and Ranma signed a pact before they left."

"Nodoka, Ranma would have been, what? Three? Four? He wouldn't have understood...and how the hell does a child that young sign anything?"

"He was finger-painting so his hand was covered with paint, Ranma put his hand on the pact and that is his signature."

Tofu took a moment to keep his cool and then closed the door to the office. Standing before the door to block her exit, Tofu, with eyes and voice colder than liquid nitrogen, read her the riot act.

"I have NEVER seen or heard of a more despicable, dishonorable act as I witnessed today...

"How dare you..."

"SHUT UP!"

Nodoka blindly backed away from the doctor and suddenly collapsed onto a chair. She had never been spoken to like this before and certainly not by him. Everybody knew he was a kind and gentle person, he would never be the kind of person to rip her a new...ahem...lets get back to Tofu.

"What did you think was going to happen when they returned? You would have your three year old son back? If a relative moved away and visited you ten years later, you wouldn't be surprised if they had changed. Children grow up, adults get older, sometimes fatter, lose hair. Ranma answered your questions as truthfully as he could, don't take it out on him because it doesn't match your memories. Who knows what kind of events or stresses their travels placed on them. Genma said he would do whatever it took to make Ranma the best martial artist in the world. Maybe that is what brought about the changes Ranma described."

Nodoka said, "But my son is supposed to be manly, not an emotional crybaby."

Tofu stared at her and asked, "What is manly? Who decides how manly a man is? Is there a chart defining manliness?"

Nodoka said proudly, "Any woman can tell you what is manly."

"So tell me what you think is manly."

"Tall, handsome, confident, strong, attracts women willing to have his children, shows no emotion, looks down on his inferiors..."

Tofu listened to her ramble and asked himself, "Why am I trying to convince her to take Ranma. It's pretty obvious she's a few cards shy of a full deck, I mean, geez. There's no way she'd be a capable mother, she'd make Ranma's life a living hell."

Tofu waited until she stopped to take a breath and broke into her spiel.

"Nodoka...you know...if Ranma's hand print matches the one on the pact, that will prove he is your son."

Nodoka turned her face away from Tofu and tried to ignore him.

"I see, even if it is proven, you will deny him your love and home."

"Yes," she hissed. "That is not my son."

"So be it. The hospital will have no other choice than to place him with Social Services due to abandonment by his parents."

"Fine. If that is all, I'll be leaving."

"Not before I compare hand prints."

To say Ranma was confused would be an understatement. A man who said he's a doctor brought a woman that he claimed was his mother to meet him. He had thought that maybe he still had a parent that would take him home. He remembered talking to other kids and hearing how moms would hug and kiss them. How they would take care of them when they were sick. How they made wonderful meals. He had proof of the meals because occasionally one of the kids would give him something from their bentos. Wistfully, he had hoped that maybe, just maybe, this woman would be his mom. Surely she would be better than...Pops. Unfortunately, his hopes were extinguished as the woman began asking him questions. So what if he had stammered a bit before giving her his name. She should know his name, right? He honestly told the truth about his age, he never had a birthday party, didn't know what month he was born in, people told him what age they thought he was so he just accepted what they said. When the two adults left the room, he knew they were talking about him. He didn't know why, but, he could feel the woman's feelings for him change. When they returned, Ranma wasn't surprised to see the woman sit across the room. He felt a cold darkness begin to grow inside him, saddened by the knowledge that he was being rejected and abandoned once again. The questions she asked and the truthful answers he gave only reinforced the darkness. The final question she asked forced him to relive his defeat and abandonment and he had broken into tears. He was lost in his despair until one of his hands was forced open, opening his eyes, he saw the doctor glancing at his hand and then a piece of paper.

Tofu could see at a glance the prints matched, Nodoka looked at both and a look of uncertainty was visible for a second before she regained her stoic mien. Tofu motioned her back into the hall and back to the previous office.

"Nodoka, the prints match. That is your son, Ranma Saotome."

She sniffed and said, "At first glance, they are apparently a match. When I looked closer there

were obvious differences. Lines on his hand that don't match with the pact and, disregarding the obvious differences in size, the length and proportion of his fingers don't match."

Tofu spoke between gritted teeth, "Nodoka, are you deliberately... Fine, I give up. Feel free to leave."

Nodoka headed for the door but halted at Tofu's next words.

"The boy may be placed in a home in Nerima. If you should meet him on the street, please I beg of you, treat him with the same courtesy as you would any other person."

Without looking back, she gave a short nod of agreement and left the office. Soun was walking down the hallway towards the young man's room and thought he recognized the woman striding towards him. Realizing he might cause the woman some embarrassment if he was wrong, he merely nodded as he passed her. He did recognize Doctor Ono as he glanced into an office he passed. Glancing at the room number sign, he knocked on the door for admittance, hearing what he thought was permission, he entered the room. The boy in the bed barely acknowledged Soun's presence in the room. Soun scanned the boy's face and any other visible potion of his body.

Soun thought to himself, "The boy doesn't have bruises, he is a bruise. Someone, who didn't know or care when to stop, worked this boy over mercilessly. He must be a fast healer because it looks like he was beat-up a couple of days ago not last night. The bruising will heal, what may never heal is the wound in his psyche. I have only seen that dark an aura in people who have lost all hope."

Tofu entered the room and stopped in surprise at seeing Soun. He had thought to call him about Ranma but held off because of Nodoka's visit. Soun noticed Tofu and motioned him to join him in the hallway. Once the door was closed, Tofu asked Soun why he was there.

Soun said, "Last night I received a call from the St. Assisi convent here in Itabashi. I was told that a young man had been found beaten and unconscious. A note attached to his gi mentioned anything goes, so they called me to see if I could try to identify him. They were worried that if his parents were not notified the young man might be placed with Social Services.

Tofu sighed and said, "They had good reason to worry. It looks like Ranma will be placed with them.

Soun gave Tofu a startled look and said, "Ranma? Ranma Saotome?"

Tofu nodded and said, "Ranma Saotome, identified by the police, school officials and a hand print."

Soun stared down the hallway and said in a low voice, "That was Nodoka I saw then."

Tofu sighed and nodded. He told Soun what had transpired mere minutes before he arrived. Soun couldn't believe that Nodoka would deny Ranma was her son. Every time she visited his daughters to teach them the skills needed by a housewife, she couldn't help but boast about his looks and abilities. Frankly, Akane was getting tired of being told about the great Ranma Saotome. He realizes that her anger and frustration are his fault for stopping her training. It isn't fair to tell her it's her duty to be heir of the Tendo School and Dojo and then fail to finish her training. He knows she is trying to keep up her skills, but, without a sensei to train her properly she will admit defeat and give up. Because he can't strike his daughter, the Tendo legacy will be lost. Tofu knew Soun was emotional but why did he suddenly break into tears. Tofu shook Soun to gain his attention. His tears gradually dribbling away, Soun looked at Tofu.

"I know you're upset about Ranma' s situation but..." Tofu began saying when Soun broke into tears again. Tofu listened in disbelief as Soun sobbingly cried about the loss of the Tendo Legacy. One dope slap later, Tofu reminded Soun they were talking about Ranma and not the Tendo Legacy.

Tofu asked Soun, "Would you consider taking in Ranma."

Soun replied, "I'm having enough trouble feeding and housing my daughters and I to consider adding another mouth. I also have to consider that his condition would involve costly counseling sessions."

"His condition? The bruises and cuts?"

"Check out his aura."

Tofu took a 'look' at Ranma's aura, he flinched at the darkness he observed. Soun pointed out that Ranma is likely to need some professional counseling sessions if not a suicide watch. As he was about to look away, he saw Ranma hold his hand out palm up and manifest a small black sphere. Ranma shouldn't be able to do that at his age, hell, most masters and grandmasters aren't able to do that. Tofu silently swore at the world at the burden he was about to bear. Tofu Ono, chi adept and confirmed bachelor, will have to have Ranma become his student after a home is found. If he is placed outside the Tokyo area, he will have to ask another chi adept to accept Ranma as a student. Tofu turned his attention back to Soun.

"Soun, I hadn't realized that he would be a strain on your household. I was just thinking since he was a student of anything goes, it would make sense for him to live with you."

"If it wasn't for returns on several investments, we would be out in the street. I have a potential job with the Ward Council, but I have yet to hear back from them."

"Would you be willing to let him train in your dojo to keep up his skills? Maybe train him in your school?"

"Ahhh...let me get back to you on that."

Tofu thought that was somewhat curious, but let it pass for now. He had to speak with Ranma about his aura before he blew out the wall of the room. Thanking Soun for dropping by, Tofu re-entered the room and closed the door. An ordinary person would look at the boy sitting in the bed and see him staring at his empty palm. Tofu saw a boy staring at a now basketball sized sphere, his aura slightly hazy rather than dark. Tofu calmly walked across the room and opened a window facing an open field.

Then he calmly walked over to Ranma, gave him a dope slap, and slapped the chi ball out the window and over the field. The detonation rattled windows in all the surrounding buildings.

"Hey, Old Man! Why'd ya slap me?"

"Several reasons. One, you were deep in a depressed state and needed to come up for air. Two, you obviously know a little about your aura and chi, just enough to be a danger to yourself and bystanders. Three, slapping you distracted you enough I was able to smack the chi ball out of the room before it exploded. Any questions?"

"Yeah, is there a fourth reason?"

"Keep up the attitude and find out."

"Why shouldn't I have an attitude? I heard you and that woman talking about me. She's my mother and she doesn't want me! So, I have no father, no mother, I don't know if I have any other relations I might live with. That Soun guy doesn't sound like he wants to let me stay at his place. The only reason I have a bed to sleep in and meals to eat is that I'm in the hospital. So, as soon as a doctor says I'm well enough to leave, I'll be living on the streets."

Tofu sighed and closed the window, returning to the side of the bed, he sat in the visitors chair.

"Ranma, there are some things that you should be aware of. One, I can delay your living on the street if you allow me to become your doctor and transfer you to Nerima General. Two, The hospital here has informed Social Services of your abandonment by your parents. Three, If Social Services cannot find a relative willing to take you in, they will have no choice but to place you into an orphanage or foster home."

Ranma lowered his head so Tofu couldn't see his eyes, but Tofu could hear the tears dropping one by one on the bed sheet. Ranma cleared his throat several times before he spoke.

"So, I guess...the ten years I spent to become the best was wasted. All that pain...for nothing."

"Maybe not for nothing. I can't promise anything but I'll see if I can have a say in your placement. One thing that will help is if I know how you were treated and trained for those ten years."

Tofu was able to judge by Ranma's aura if he was telling the truth. There was a little stretching of the truth sometimes, usually when Ranma was discussing his abilities, but on the whole, it was a factual recital of years of daily abuse and torture. What was most disturbing about the recital was Ranma's expression on his face. It was a calm thoughtful expression like a person gets when trying to remember a part of their vacation. Tofu felt a chill at Ranma's pride that other kids didn't get trained like he did.

"Oh...My...God," thought Tofu. "he honestly thinks that daily horror he went through is normal!That that is how a father treats their sons. No wonder, his aura is black. He 'knew' his mother would give him hugs and kisses and be kind to offset his father's brutality and she tossed him aside."

Ranma continued to detail his life on the road, the lack of friends, fighting his father to get enough to eat, hardly any schooling, and on and on. The longer his litany went on, the more determined Tofu became to protect the boy. When Social Services interviews Ranma and hears what a horror his life had been, Ranma will probably be institutionalized. He'd never get the chi training he needs and would die from chi poisoning.

Tofu thought to himself, "Screw Social Services, I'll take him in. I'll speak to Mother and have him added to the Ono Clan!"


	2. Chapter 2

A New Beginning

Ranma looked around the small room and ran through a quick inventory. Two beds, two small dressers, and a divided closet. One bed was made already and there was some stuff on top of one of the dressers. Opening the closet, he saw the right side was free of clothes. Taking his shirts and pants from the backpack, he placed them on the hangers and closed the door. He finished by placing his t-shirts, boxers and socks in the empty dresser. He made his bed with the sheets and blankets he had been given.

'Yippee. Fifteen minutes gone. What am I gonna do until dinner?', he thought to himself.

Deciding to explore a bit, he climbed out the window and scaled down the wall. Looking around and seeing nobody, he walked cautiously out into the enclosed yard. Taking another careful glance around, he sank into a meditative position and sought to banish his fears, if just for a little while. After several minutes, feeling centered, he began the first kata he was taught so many years ago. One by one, he moved through each kata, retracing his history. Finishing, he began again, with unfelt tears falling to the ground, trying to find out how he failed and lost his family. Finishing again, he let his arms and shoulders droop, he had tried to be the best and failed. He had worked so hard, endured so much pain and all for nothing.

A woman called out, "Ranma, go wash-up for dinner."

Ranma nodded and slowly plodded to the back door and entered. The woman sighed and walked inside. Ranma had just been placed with them today, the third couple in the two months since he was released from the hospital. Each of the previous couples had tried to ease Ranma out of the cycle of depression, self-hate and self-pity that were his constant companions. During Social Services visits, notes were made of Ranma's behavior and appearance. He hardly spoke, barely ate at meals, drove himself to exhaustion practicing katas and rarely had an untroubled sleep. He had such a gaunt and haggard appearance, that there was a rising concern that for his health and mental well-being, he should be placed into a care facility. Each couple found themselves praying to Kami-sama to have mercy on the boy and allow him to find peace and love. Thirteen years old and ronin, tossed aside by an abusive father and uncaring mother, barely acknowledging a day to day existence, Ranma is living in hell. Hopefully, what arrived in the mail will help break him out of his hell.

After finishing a barely touched dinner, Ranma started to rise to help clear the table. The man at the table motioned Ranma to remain seated. Reaching out to the counter-top, the man grasped an envelope and placed it in front of Ranma. Ranma stared mutely at the envelope, with trembling hands he opened the envelope and removed the letter inside. His eyes tearing, stomach churning from fear, he was unable to read what it said. The woman knelt alongside him and assisted him by reading it out loud.

Saotome Ranma,

Social Services has been unable to find any relatives beyond your birth parents.

While we wish to find a suitable foster home for you, your current health and

mental state require you to be placed under medical supervision. Transportation

to a facility will be provided tomorrow afternoon. Please be ready at that time.

The man and woman carefully guided a near comatose Ranma to his bedroom. The man readied Ranma for bed and the woman tucked his blankets around him. Turning out the light, the man guided the crying woman out of the room and closed the door. The next morning, when Ranma couldn't be wakened, the woman contacted Social Services. A short time later, two men arrived, placed Ranma on a gurney and into a care facility van.

Ranma slowly began waking, strange beeping and hissing noises assaulting his ears. Eyelids flickering open, he blearily looked at the ceiling. Rolling his head to the side, he could make out an IV stand. Slowly lift his arm, he was able to see he had an IV inserted. His nostrils felt dry and he could feel air pushing into them. Someone entered the room and quickly left, returning shortly with another person. The first person knelt alongside the bed and checked the IV bag. The second person seemed to be a doctor, since they listened to his chest and flashed a light in his eyes.

"Ranma, can you hear me? Nod, if you can."

Ranma nodded, gradually becoming more aware each second. The head of the bed raised slightly and he felt a little pinch as the IV was removed from his arm. The first person removed the IV stand from the room while the second person remained.

"Would you like some water?"

Licking dry lips with a leather-like tongue, Ranma nodded and accepted the straw placed in his mouth. It took a few tries to get a sip and he wasn't able to swallow it, his mouth just absorbed it. Finally, he was able to swallow a couple of mouthfuls and released the straw. Finally, his vision cleared and he could make out his surroundings. To his surprise, he was in an ordinary bedroom, granted there was a hospital bed and equipment present, he looked at the doctor standing alongside the bed and saw Doctor Ono.

It took a couple of tries before Ranma could ask, "Am I in a care facility?"

Tofu cocked his head to one side and said, "In a manner of speaking, yes, it is a care facility."

Ranma nodded slowly, finally understanding there wasn't any thing left for him in this life, he would find a way to end it soon. Someone brought his attention back to the present by shaking his shoulder and waving a cup of broth under his nose. Tofu looked at him in concern, Ranma's lack of response was very disturbing. Placing a straw into the broth, Tofu placed the cup into Ranma's hands.

"Ranma, I would like you to take a few sips of the broth. You need to get nourishment in you and you need to hear what I'm about to say. Will you do that as a favor to me?"

Ranma sipped the broth slowly, the first few sips cramping his stomach then making him aware of a rising hunger. He owed Doctor Ono for his stay in the hospital, so he nodded when he was ready to listen.

"First, you are in a bedroom in the apartment above my clinic. Social Services agreed to let me be your attending physician. Second, as you are a minor, you need a guardian. Social Services accepted my petition and I will be your guardian, if you will allow. There are a few other items that we need to discuss but can bide a little while you recuperate. Do you have anything to say or any questions you want to ask?"

"Why? Why are you doing this?" Ranma asked slowly.

Tofu was totally confused by his question for a few seconds, then realized that Ranma felt he wasn't worth anyone's care or concern.

"First, I am a physician, I aid anyone in need. Second, I am appalled that any parent would callously abandon a child and leave them with no care for their well-being. Every child needs to be cherished and raised by caring adults. In your case, I am willing to be a surrogate older brother or uncle, if you will allow me to be."

"What will your wife say?"

"Well, since I'm a bachelor, I don't have to worry about that."

"Oh, I thought that woman..."

"Uh...woman? OH! No...that was a girl that sometimes assists me. She wants to be a nurse so this is good experience for her."

"Oh...hmmm...uh...do you think I could have a little more soup?"

"Do you think you can keep it down?"

"Yeah...well...pretty sure."

Tofu returned with some more soup and stayed with Ranma until he was sure his stomach could handle it. Feeling sleep rapidly approaching, Ranma asked Tofu to lower the head of the bed and settled himself under the covers. Turning off the light, Tofu bid Ranma a goodnight and left, closing the door. Ranma drowsily thought, "A big brother," and drifted off to sleep.

Several days later, Ranma was roused by several things: the sound of blinds opening, sunlight streaming onto his face, squeaking cart wheels and a chipper female voice. Waking up and becoming aware again, he realized the girl had asked him a question.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch what you were asking. Would you repeat the question, please?"

With a mild blush, she asked, "Would you like a bed-bath?"

"Uh...whats a bed-bath?"

"When a person is prescribed bed-rest, as you are, a nurse or orderly will remove your soiled night clothes, bathe you with a washcloth and redress you in clean night clothes."

"Uh...no."

"Doctor Ono asked to me to provide the same care as him. A bed-bath is part of that care."

"Uh...who gave me the last bed-bath?"

"Doctor Ono."

"How about I wait for him or better yet, I'll take care of it myself."

Reaching out, she grabbed the blanket and pulled it off Ranma.

"I was told what to do for you and I'm going to do it."

Ranma scrambled to grab the blanket and pulled it back over himself. A tug-of-war ensued between the two, causing a rather disjointed conversation of gradually increasing volume

"I'd rather...You're getting...wait for...a bath...Doctor Ono...whether you want..."

"WHAT IS GOING ON?"

The girl looked down at the floor and mumbled something. Ranma had suddenly lain flat and was looking at the ceiling. Tofu looked at both teenagers and sighed, picking up Ranma's chart at the foot of the bed, he gave it to the girl.

Tofu asked softly, "Kasumi, remember what I told you about reading the patient's chart to see if there had been changes to their care, before you begin anything?"

Kasumi looked at the chart with eyes brimming with tears. She saw that Ranma had been released from bed-rest and could resume light activities. Choking back a sob, she handed the chart back to Tofu.

"I'm sorry, Doctor Ono. I assumed...I...," Kasumi began before breaking into tears. "I...just..

I'm...sorry."

Tofu took Kasumi by an elbow and guided her to a chair. Squatting, so he can look at her face, Tofu sees that Kasumi is taking this too strongly.

"Kasumi...Kasumi...look at me...come on...look at me..."

Slowly, gradually, Tofu is able to get Kasumi's attention. Handing her a tissue to dry her eyes, he asked her what was wrong. Sobbing, Kasumi told him that she was having trouble keeping up with school, raising her sisters, maintaining a household and helping at the clinic. She was certain that he was disappointed with her mistakes and would tell her to stop assisting him. Tofu was startled, but responded gently, telling her that she isn't a disappointment, that she would make mistakes while learning.

"Kasumi, I see that I have been at fault for not realizing how much stress you are under. You need to manage your time to your benefit. I'm not asking you to stop coming to assist me, I just want you to take care of your needs and responsibilities first. Will you promise me you'll do that?"

Kasumi nodded and gave a tremulous smile.

"I'm closing the clinic today to take care of some requirements involving Social Services and Ranma. So, scoot..." Reaching into his pocket, he handed her some money. "Treat your sisters to some ice cream and a movie...and have fun. Doctors orders."

Ranma had lain uncomfortably still, listening to a private conversation. Still, he realized that the 'doc' had not treated the girl with disdain and had addressed her fears and concerns. Watching her leave, he realized that he had never once received in his life as much care as Tofu had just shown Kasumi. He was pretty sure that Tofu hadn't treated her like that just because she was a girl. He had been unsure if he could ever trust an adult again, but, maybe he would give Tofu a chance. Tofu waited until Kasumi was gone and then spoke to Ranma.

"Once you get cleaned up and dressed, follow your nose to the kitchen. I'll make us some breakfast and then I need to give you some information about our appointment."

Tofu directed Ranma to the small bathroom with a shower, where Ranma washed up and dressed in his gi. His nose detected a wonderful aroma and led him unerringly to the kitchen, Tofu was making scrambled eggs and bacon. Ranma's stomach was still working up to full meals, so he decided a soft high protein meal would be the best option for now. His apartment was too small to have a dining room, but the counter-top dividing the kitchen and living room, with a couple of stools, made an adequate dining area for a couple of bachelors. Ranma sat down and politely waited for Tofu before starting to eat normally, not hovering over his bowl to guard it from a food-stealing sensei.

[A/N: Ranma hasn't been to China so he doesn't wear the usual clothes (yet). He also had several weeks to have learned some social graces.]

Ranma was dreading the upcoming appointment and gathered the dishes and utensils and began washing them before Tofu could say anything. Tofu recognized a stalling tactic when he saw one and waited patiently until Ranma was done.

"Thank you, Ranma. I appreciate your kindness in cleaning up for me. We need to leave soon, but, I need to tell you that Social Services and the Family Law judge will want to hear from you what was the cause of your abandonment. I realize that this is extremely personal and you might not want to speak of it, but, it will greatly improve your situation, believe me.

Ranma looked down and said softly, "Will I have to tell them about everything before that happened?"

"No, Social Services has transcripts of their interviews with you and the people you stayed with. The only information they don't have is what happened that night."

Ranma squirmed on the stool and fidgeted as he looked everywhere but at Tofu. Tofu wondered what was the matter and was on the edge of speaking, when Ranma spoke.

"I...I...might..not …..have told...them everything...Po...Sensei...trained...me...in. He made me swear to...to keep...it a family arts...secret," he said while dashing tears from his face, "I'm...not part...of the family anymore...so I can... can...break...my...promise. Now, I'll be just like him...just like...him."

"Ranma," Tofu said softly, "What do you mean, you'll be just like him?"

"I'm...ronin...now. So...I'm...honorless...just like him."

"What makes him honorless?"

Ranma started laughing weakly, "He thinks I haven't noticed what he's been doing. Stealing, cheating people, running out on bills. He had me doing it for him until I caught on. If anyone checks up on me they'll see I've had a criminal record since I was six. He has his own record so he decided to use my name to get away with his crimes. So our family arts secrets were martial arts thievery. I thank Kami-sama everyday that Anything Goes is a true martial arts school."

"Hmmm...I see. We'll have to look into that and see about clearing your name. Is there anything else that we should be aware of?"

Ranma's face became still with a distant look in his eyes, wrapping his arms around himself as if to ward off a chill, he said something that drove a spike of ice down Tofu's spine.

"I was trained in the Neko-ken."

Tofu's experience as a doctor allowed him to maintain an outward calm, while a super-nova couldn't compare to his inner rage. All martial artist adepts knew of the banned technique and all had sworn to destroy any scroll even mentioning it. The sensei that taught it to anyone was to be instantly killed upon discovery without mercy or clemency.

'Genma Saotome, you are a dead man if I ever meet up with you,' thought Tofu. 'How dare you put your son through that torture. How dare you abandon him, knowing if he enters the neko-ken, he would be put down like a rabid animal.'

Tofu sighed and rubbed his eyes. He glanced at the clock and realized they needed to get moving to make their appointment. Ranma's situation was 'fraught with peril' indeed. Tofu drove them in his pride and joy, a VW Beetle, to the Family Law building. When Ranma asked about the strange little car, Tofu told him the truth.

"Most of the guys I went to medical school have a Volvo or Mercedes Benz. They used to give me a hard time because I didn't have a foreign import car. Now when they ask, I can honestly say I drive a foreign import."

Arriving at the Family Law building, they were escorted to a small meeting room and introduced to the judge overseeing the case. A few minutes later, the Social Services representative arrived and the meeting began. It began normally, the representative presenting their case: parents need their child, child name and identity not at risk, currently under medical supervision, minor doesn't need guardian, blah, blah, blah. Tofu couldn't believe that Social Services thought Ranma should be put under his parents care again. Tofu thought the judge might be about to fall asleep the way his head kept nodding and he began worrying how this will turn out. The judge surprised him though when he began asking the representative some rather pointed questions about the abusive nature of Ranma's upbringing. Why hadn't Social Services stepped in to remove Ranma from Genma's care after numerous calls and letters had been received over the years describing the abusive treatment? Why hadn't Genma's and Nodoka's mental state been called into question after those same people were told of the seppuku contract involving a three year old child? The judge held up his copy of the interview transcripts and the cassette tape used for the interviews.

"Words on a piece of paper don't always have the same impact as listening to the spoken words. This child spoke of his daily abusive existence as routine, 'training' day and night, regardless of weather or his own condition. He recounts continuing training even with broken bones and sometimes concussions. Being told to stay in freezing water or broiling desert heat to develop stamina. Fighting his father to keep him from eating Ranma's food or deserving to starve because he wasn't fast enough. I've heard of third-world prisons treating their inmates better then what Ranma has been put through. I don't even want to get into the failure of our school system to bring to light his spotty school attendance."

The judge tossed the transcripts and tape on the table and let his arms settle onto the armrests of his chair. He made some additional notes on his pad and looked at Tofu and Ranma.

"I have been in this position for over thirty years. I have developed a 'feel' for lies, half-truths and evasions. Ranma needs tell me what really happened the night he was abandoned and what he hasn't said about his training at age five."

Tofu leaned over and spoke softly to Ranma. Ranma paled slightly and spoke as softly back to Tofu.

"Ranma will tell you, if you promise to hear him out without calling him a liar."

The judge looked at Ranma and spoke, "Do you promise to tell me the truth and only the truth?"

Ranma nodded, then with a nudge from Tofu's elbow, said, "Yes Sir."

The judge settled back in his chair and said, "Then in your own words, tell me of the night your father left you."

FLASHBACK

Genma looked down at his son and frowned. The boy is still seated in the position he began three days ago. He has leniently allowed his son to wait for his challenger to show up because the boy said he might be late. Well, he's late, he lost the challenge and as soon as Genma has his dinner, he's taking Ranma to China. Ranma barely noticed his father leaving, he was so sleepy, he could barely keep his eyes open. His stomach growled, he hasn't had anything to eat or drink since he started waiting , his father said it was good stamina training. Closing his eyes for what he thought was only a second, he was rudely awakened by an impact against his skull. Groggy from lack of sleep, weak from hunger, he still placed himself into a ready stance. The next ten minutes had to count as one of the most painful periods of his life. He fought to the best of his ability, so the fight wasn't as one-sided as you might think. Still in the end he crumpled to the ground semi-conscious, feeling every kick slamming into his body. He heard the victor capering around him crowing about his victory. He heard his father show up and readied himself for the verbal abuse he knew was coming, he was wrong.

"Pathetic! Trained you to be the best." spoken in a drunken slur. "First fight you're in and look at you. You're no son of mine. My son is the best fighter. If you're not the best, then you're not my son."

He heard Genma walk over to the victor. Blearily, through a bloody haze, Ranma saw Genma grab the other boy's sleeve and shove his face close to the boy's. The boy waved his hand in front of his face to clear the alcoholic breath that threatened to overwhelm him.

"Hey, you, whats your name?"

"Ryoga Hibiki"

"Nope, no it ain't, not if I'm gonna train you to be the best martial artist in the world. You wanna be the best, right?"

"Uh...yeah."

"Then it's settled. Your name is Ranma Saotome."

Genma staggered over to Ranma, scribbled something on a piece of paper and pinned it to Ranma's gi. Turning to Ryoga...er...Ranma, Genma handed him a huge backpack and told him to carry it since his training begins now. Both figures staggering, one from alcohol, the other from the load it bore, passed in front of Ranma...the one sprawled...oh you know who I mean. The last words he ever heard from his father were not directed at him.

He said, "Stick with me and I'll make you the best martial artist in the world...son."

FLASHBACK END

Ranma sat with bowed head, staring at his hands clasped together resting on the table. He flinched at the first words uttered by the judge, but, felt better by the time the judge finished speaking.

"Unbelievable, utterly unbelievable."

"I agree, your Honor. Obviously a made-up...," began the representative.

The representative's face turn ashen at the look of contempt given by the judge.

"I will be speaking with the Director of Social Services in the near future. You are not the only complaint we will be making."

"W...We..., your Honor?"

"The judges of the Family Law courts have much to discuss with the Director."

The judge turned to look at Tofu and Ranma. With a much more benign expression, the judge asked Ranma to describe the training when he was five years old. {We all know the horror that Ranma experienced, and I'm too squeamish (Too lazy)[Shut up, Muse] to force my readers to relive it.} When Ranma finished, he heard a stream of mumbled swearing coming from the judge. The representative was looking somewhat green and holding a trashcan. Tofu's hands were clasped in front of him, fingernails drawing blood. The judge finished swearing and started writing, and writing, and writing.

He pressed a button, summoning a clerk, the clerk and judge spoke for a few moments and then the clerk left at a run. Several minutes later, a stream of other judges poured into the room.

The judge presiding over Ranma's case spoke to Tofu, "It appears to be lunchtime. Why don't you and Ranma go have something to eat and be back here in...oh...three hours."

Tofu raised an eyebrow at that, nodded and ushered Ranma from the meeting room. They found a nearby restaurant, had a buffet meal (Remind the manager to take down the all-you-can-eat sign if Ranma returns) and walked through a nearby park. Sitting on a park bench, Ranma watched curiously as some children played a variety of games.

"Doctor Ono...," Ranma began.

"Ranma, its okay to call me Tofu when I'm not seeing patients at the clinic."

"Oh...okay...what are those kids doing? I mean I know they're playing, but, what are they doing."

"Well...it looks like some are playing hop-scotch, another bunch are playing tag, those four are playing basketball and the last two are playing Frisbee.

"Frisbee?"

"Well, I suppose I should say playing with a Frisbee, but, everyone knows you can only play Frisbee with a Frisbee."

Noticing Ranma's confusion, Tofu said, "I'll get one before we go home and we'll try it out in the backyard."

Ranma's face fell and he said, "Home. Will I be going home with you?"

"Of course," said Tofu.

"How can you be certain of that?" Ranma asked.

Tofu had no answer and a subdued duo returned to the Family Court building. Entering the lobby, they were ushered to a different room on a different floor. Ranma showed no concern, one room was as good as another, Tofu was concerned because they had been taken to the senior judge's chambers. Shown to some seats before the desk, Tofu motioned Ranma to remain standing. He wasn't going to let a lapse of protocol jeopardize Ranma's future. A door behind the desk opened and a robed figure sat down and motioned for them to be seated. Tofu swore softly to himself, he should have realized the senior judge was presiding over Ranma's case. The judge had told the representative that HE would be speaking with the Director of Social Services.

"Did you find somewhere to eat?" asked the judge.

Ranma sat up straighter and smiled, "Sure did! It was great, an all-you-can-eat buffet!"

The judge looked at Tofu, who said with a grin, "They may not offer that again if they think Ranma is around."

The judge smiled and said, "Well, growing boys eat a lot."

Tofu sweat-dropped and answered weakly, "Heh heh, yeah, a lot."

[Back at the restaurant, employees struggled to keep the manager restrained until the tranquilizer took effect. The assistant manager sadly looked into the cash till, counting only the amount for two luncheon buffet meals. Meanwhile, the chef is supervising the unloading of fresh supplies for the evening rush.]

"Lets get to the matter at hand," said the judge. "The Family Law court's mandate is to determine what is in the best interests of a family. Sometimes a ruling will look cruel but in the long term it was the best option the family had. Our mandate also takes into consideration what is in the best interests of estranged family members. Your case comes under that mandate, Ranma."

He placed several documents on his desk and pointed at each as he spoke.

"Ranma, your parents have disowned you. They have illegally adopted another child and are using your identity. To maintain your identity as an individual, this document declares you are an emancipated minor. Your now ex-parents will not be able to expunge you from records and must release your hanko to you or your guardian. This is similar to your coming of age as an adult. A letter to Mrs. Saotome will be sent once your guardian has been selected."

Ranma gulped and felt his stomach twist. Who would be selected?

"I looked into your criminal record and am shocked at the depths 'you' delved in your life of crime."

He looked up to see a fearful Ranma, who was wondering if he was going to prison.

"I'm sorry, Ranma," said the repentant judge. "An old man's humor is frequently caused by irony. I was making a comment about how could any police officer believe a seven year old boy would skip out of town without paying a brothel bill. Quite a substantial one, too. I have asked a criminal courts judge to review the record and clear you of any charges, except any that are truly yours, that is."

Ranma squirmed a bit under the gimlet eye the judge turned on him.

"This document is for your guardian to sign, with your approval, of course."

"Will I have a chance to meet him, first?"

"Him? Who said it had to be a man?"

Ranma was at a loss for words and hardly heard the pen strokes of someone writing. He saw the judge rise and shake Tofu's hand and extend it to Ranma to shake. Somewhat dazed, he weakly shook the judge's hand and looked up at a smiling Tofu.

"Come on, little brother. Lets go home."


	3. Chapter 3

BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING (OVER YOU)

Tofu received copies of the paperwork from the Family Law court and a copy of Ranma's birth certificate. Tofu had given them a cursory glance when a discrepancy involving Ranma's age caught his attention. Ranma wasn't thirteen, he was fourteen. Tofu groaned and rubbed his temples at the realization of how poor information, judgment and well-intentioned actions had royally screwed-up Ranma's life. He had known Ranma's physical age and appearance didn't match a normal thirteen year old, because of Genma stealing food from Ranma stunted his growth. He should have mentioned that to Nodoka ,but, emotions clouded both Tofu's and Nodoka's minds at the time so both had accepted Ranma's statement that he was thirteen at face value. This 'fact' was what led to Nodoka's interrogation, she knew how old her son was and had a general idea of what a fourteen year olds height and weight should be. The hand print caused a momentary hesitation in her rejection of Ranma, but, the 'fact' firmed her determination that this boy was not and couldn't be her son. Tofu would write a letter to Nodoka detailing what happened and ask her to reconsider her position. He realized that Ranma being an emancipated minor and living as his ward was a complication, but, just her accepting him as her son was all Tofu could hope for.

Over the next few months, Tofu and Ranma worked on learning how to get along together. Ranma learned that entering and leaving the apartment by window was frowned upon by society in general and Tofu in particular. Tofu had no problem if Ranma wanted to use the roof of the apartment, he just wanted him to use the outside stairs. Tofu learned that you don't wake a sleeping Ranma suddenly, after being tossed into the wall several times. Regular meals and plentiful sleep allowed Ranma's body to make his next growth spurt bring him closer to average. With hard work, Tofu turned Ranma into a somewhat socially acceptable person. He's still looking for a cure to Ranma's foot-in-mouth problem. Tofu also learned never to mention Ranma's parents by name, Ranma preferred to use the terms sensei and sensei's wife. Grudgingly, Tofu allowed Ranma to call him 'Doc' as well as Tofu. Later he realized that Ranma would call him Tofu when he wanted his 'big brother' and 'Doc' when he needed to speak with his 'Uncle'.

Ranma settled into a comfortable routine that eased his wounded psyche. He would either spar with Tofu or perform katas before breakfast, wash-up, have breakfast, do the dishes, straighten up the small apartment, sweep and mop the clinic before opening, do the laundry, make and have lunch with Tofu,do the dishes, do the shopping, perform his katas or meditate, help Tofu clean up the clinic at closing, have dinner, and then Tofu would talk with Ranma while they did the dishes. Ranma wouldn't have a clue that Tofu was deprogramming a brain-washed child of his abusive sensei's bigoted and sexist mindset. Tofu still didn't have an idea of what to do if Ranma entered the Neko-ken.

One day, Tofu was making lunch while watching Ranma out the corner of his eye. Ranma was working on a test to measure his scholastic level, but, apparently he was distracted by the tantalizing smell just across the counter. Tofu glanced at the test sheet and decided Ranma had completed enough to let him take a meal break. Giving him a plate of food, Tofu used the answer sheet to see how Ranma fared.

"You did very well on the majority of the test, Ranma." Tofu said. "Your math and literature test scores were just below 8th grade average. I'm sure with a little more study, you'll be able to start 9th grade with your peers."

Ranma was of two minds about that. He was used to training 10 to 14 hours a day, sitting idle at a desk for several hours didn't appeal to him at all. On the other hand, Tofu pointed out that he needed an education and to meet and interact with people his age. Maybe he could even have a friend, something he was denied by his sensei as a distraction to training. Something Tofu said puzzled Ranma and he mentioned that to Tofu.

"Won't I be a fourteen year old kid in a class of fifteen year olds?"

"Thanks for reminding me, I meant to tell you earlier and forgot."

"Forgot what?"

"Your birth date and how old you are. You're actually fourteen and a half, you'll have a birthday before school starts, so you'll be fifteen like the rest of your class."

Tofu paused and thought for a moment, he suddenly grinned and snapped his fingers.

"I believe you said you missed having any birthday celebrations. How about we hold a make-up celebration this Saturday?"

"Sounds okay to me,...uh...what do I have to do?"

"Nothing, you're the person the celebration is held for. I'll see about baking a cake and sending out...invitations. Well, don't worry, I'll make all the arrangements."

"Okay," said a grinning Ranma.

Running upstairs to get ready for bed, Ranma almost stumbled because his eyes had clouded over with tears. Finally, he was going to have a birthday, with a real cake, because someone cared. Tofu sat at the counter, drumming his fingers, thinking about invitations. Ranma has met other kids at the park or the marketplace, but, they were casual acquaintances. Did Ranma know their full names or their addresses? Maybe he should keep it a small party, Kasumi wouldn't mind coming to the party, she was friends with Ranma after all. Ranma probably wouldn't expect more then the two of them, so Kasumi would be a surprise. He'll have to give her an early call tomorrow to see if she can come.

The next morning, Kasumi had to try several times before she hung up the phone correctly. She looked around to see if anyone was watching her, seeing no-one, she wrapped her arms around herself and gave a squeal. Tofu Ono had asked her out, well, sorta, it was a birthday party for Ranma, but, he asked her! She realized he thought she was too young for him, well, she **was **only seventeen and a half, still, just you wait Tofu Ono, I'll be eighteen before you know it. She went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for her family and bentos for school. Sitting down for breakfast, Kasumi asked Nabiki if she had anything planned for Saturday. Turns out she had plans to take bets at the local ball-field where two school teams were going to play a grudge match. While she would take bets on who will win and in what inning, she was also taking bets on when the fight will breakout and who will start it and who will finish it. Kasumi looked at Akane and realized she was going to have to adjust her school uniform again. Akane was at that coltish stage where it looked like she was just arms and legs. It was a good thing Kasumi had raised the skirt hem and shortened the sleeve length. Auntie Nodoka had shown her the trick of how to fold the sleeve backwards then return the cuff to the length needed and tack it in place. Kasumi considered asking Akane if she would come to the party, it would give her something to do besides getting frustrated and angry trying to train by herself.

"Akane, Doctor Ono is giving a birthday party for the boy that's staying with him. I thought it might be nice to have someone his own age to attend also."

His name is Ranma, right? Ranma Saotome? The Oh SO GREAT, MANLY Ranma that Auntie Nodoka goes on and on about? No, I'll just go to the park and train."

"He was the one Auntie talked of, but, now he isn't."

"Uh...Kasumi...that doesn't make much sense. How can someone be something and then change into something else. [Dun dun daaaaaaaah!] He's the same person, right?" [Oh, the irony!]

"It's not really my story to tell and I'm a bit confused how it came about. Why don't we stop by the clinic and tell Doctor Ono we'll come to the party, maybe he'll explain Ranma's situation to us."

Nabiki asked, "What will you do about a gift? We don't have any money to spend on ourselves, let alone someone else."

Akane bit her lip and suggested, "I have some manga that I haven't read in some time. I could bundle them up and gift-wrap it."

Nabiki gave her a grin and asked, "What genre? Wouldn't want him to get the wrong impression, now would you?"

Akane said a bit heatedly, "Adventure! Inuyasha, if you must know!" [Insert standard disclaimer here]

Nabiki and Kasumi shared a look and a thought, 'She didn't catch the romantic theme, at all!?'

Kasumi shrugged and said, "It will have to do. Now, lets finish up and get to school."

After school, the three girls stopped at Tofu's clinic, Nabiki had sensed a secret and invited herself to sit in. They waited in various stages of patience for Tofu to finish with a patient, finally he called them into his office. He wondered what the visit was about and then noticed Akane fidgeting in her chair. Assuming he knew what the visit was about, he reached to a display on the counter and handed her a pamphlet on the onset of periods. When Akane's face flushed as red as her name, Nabiki covered her mouth to stifle her laughter and Kasumi gave a big disappointed sigh, Tofu figured he made a wrong assumption.[And you know what happens when someone assumes, right?]

"Ah...sorry...sorry...I thought...well...I didn't really...ahem...what brings you girls here today?...not that I don't mind you visiting...I'll shut up now." Tofu said weakly.

The three girls giggled at Doctor Tofu trying to regain his professional dignity. Nabiki had been watching Akane from the corner of her eye and threw in some extra giggles when Akane slipped the pamphlet into her bookbag. Kasumi started the conversation.

"Doctor Ono, Akane and I would like to attend the party, but, we are curious about your guest."

Tofu rubbed his chin and said, "My guest is actually my ward. I have guardianship until he reaches his majority."

Nabiki stuck her oar in, "Your ward. If he is Ranma Saotome, shouldn't he be living with his mother?"

Kasumi looked at Nabiki and said in exasperation, "Learn to be diplomatic and courteous, Nabiki!"

Tofu scowled at them all, "I am not going to provide you with material for gossip and I expected better behavior from you."

Kasumi contritely said, "I apologize, Doctor Ono, if it appears that we have a base motive for asking. Auntie Nodoka has been telling us how proud she is of her son and then we find he is living with you."

Tofu nodded and said, "Understandable, but, there are issues involved that you needn't concern yourselves with. [Wrong thing to say to Nabiki, doc.] Suffice it to say, Ranma is his own person, separate from the person Nodoka is speaking of. If he wishes to tell you of these issues, that is his concern, my concern is keeping his privacy, private."

Kasumi nodded and said, "We will promise, of course, to respect his privacy. [And Nabiki crosses her fingers!] Akane and I will attend the party this Saturday afternoon."

All through the conversation, Akane's attention had been alternating between the room and the window. In the enclosed backyard, she saw a boy sitting in meditation and gazed in wonder as an azure aura began to manifest around him. A nudge of an elbow brought her back to the room, Kasumi and Nabiki were ready to leave. Kasumi had seen Akane staring at the boy, when she looked at him, all she saw was a boy sitting on the ground. Leaving the clinic, Akane stated her intention of training in the park and began walking in that direction. Nabiki said she had some research to take care of at the library, so Kasumi walked home alone. Nabiki's research was going to involve looking through the legal notices in the local papers. Akane's walk meandered a bit, finally stopping in the clinic's backyard. Ranma gradually became aware of someone's presence nearby, it was a presence he was not familiar with, so as he began to come out of his meditation, he readied himself for an attack. He was not ready for what came.

A girl's voice softly asked, "Could you teach me to do that?"

He shifted to a standing stance and looked around. Off to the side, an attractive girl with black hair sat on the backyard bench. Ranma hadn't much experience talking to girls, let alone attractive girls and he had no idea what he did that she would want to learn.

"Uh...what that?"

He winced when he said that, expecting her to laugh at him. She just looked at him with a look of mild exasperation.

"Meditation?"

Now she was looking at him with a look of moderate exasperation. He began desperately thinking of what he had been doing. He didn't want to see what full-blown exasperation would do.

"Aura projection?"

She nodded and smiled. Ranma felt like he was staring at the sun, her expression was so radiant.

He felt sad that he would have to tell her no, only martial artists can learn it and girls can't be...

He shook himself and remembered, sensei's martial arts training was fine, if arduous, it was his attitudes and comments that sucked. Tofu had been helping him reject those things that would keep him an outsider, someone socially inferior, a laughingstock. Akane's smile began to dim, the expressions racing across Ranma's face were letting her know she was going to be rejected again. She began to get up to leave when Ranma shook himself and gave her a grin.

"Sure! Are you a martial artist?"

Akane was on the verge of stating that she was, then slumped forward, elbows on her knees, head resting on her joined hands. Ranma was startled to say the least, she had looked so proud a second ago, now she looked like she had lost a part of herself. Ranma cast about desperately, wondering what to do, when he realized he hadn't introduced himself.

"Hi! I'm Ranma, want to be friends?"

Akane raised her head and looked at Ranma. He was smiling and holding his hand out to her.

She thought to herself, 'He probably doesn't have many or any friends yet, and you can never have too many friends.'

Holding her hand out for Ranma to take, she stood and said, "Sure, I'm Akane, I'll be your friend."

Ranma stood there holding and looking at her hand. Akane was starting to feel awkward and thinking about yanking her hand out of his grasp, when he released it. He stood staring off into space for a few seconds, then studied her body by circling around her. She was just starting to reach for Mr. Mallet, when he sat at one end of the bench and motioned for her to sit at the opposite end.

"Okay, you've had dojo training, but, not recently. You've continued training on your own, but, you need a sensei to correct your mistakes and train you in more advanced katas. That about it?"

"Yeah, Dad taught me til I was ten and then stopped. My sister, Kasumi, figured out he didn't want to hit me during sparring. I suppose you're gonna tell me you'll be my sensei and magically fix everything." Akane said somewhat sarcastically. His answer surprised her greatly.

"Hell, no! I have enough troubles training on my own. I can work out with you, you know spar, help you with your katas, things like that. Tofu has been my sensei...since my last sensei stopped...training me. I thought you might ask him to become your sensei."

"I couldn't do that, he's much too busy and important to train me."

Tofu spoke up from behind them, "Let me be the judge of that, Akane. If I have ample time to train Ranma, then adding you as a student is not a problem. Two students? When many dojos have a dozen or more? Pfft...tish tosh...especially since the senior student assists in training any junior students."

Ranma was giving a good impression of a koi, while Akane wasn't sure if she should be giggling or fuming. Tofu relented and explained.

"Akane, Ranma has already offered to workout with you and help with your katas. Ranma has taught himself a bit of chi manipulation, so he will work with you on that when your chi reserves are built up. I'll keep an eye on both of you and step-in if either of you are having a problem."

"Sensei, she already has reserves...I...mean...her mallet." said a nervous Ranma.

"Akane, did you reach for Mr. Mallet?"

Akane squirmed a bit and said, "I was about to...I...he..."

Tofu looked at Ranma and raised an eyebrow in question.

Ranma shuffled his feet, then mumbled. "Erm...it was when I was checking out her body...I mean...looking at her figure...muscles...tone."

Tofu coughed into his closed fist to muffle a laugh. Akane's right hand fingers were clenching and unclenching around a ghostly mallet handle. Tofu looked calmly at Akane until she settled down.

"Akane, Ranma, like so many boys his age, has a problem speaking to girls. [says the pot about the kettle.] They develop what is called Foot-in-Mouth disease. What they mean to say and what comes out are many times quite opposite. I believe what Ranma meant to say was that he was looking at your muscle tone. This gives an indication of fitness so we know what level to train you at."

Akane looked over at a wide-eyed Ranma to see him nodding rapidly. He was watching her hand to be sure Mr. Mallet wasn't going to appear. Tofu frowned slightly and thought about his daily schedule. His expression cleared and a slight smile appeared, maybe he had found a tutor for Ranma's scholastic needs.

"Akane, isn't the school year about over?'

"Yes, there's just one week left."

"Do you have any after school activities?"

"No, the clubs and all the athletic programs have been halted for break."

"Do you wish to be my student?"

"YES!...I mean, yes sensei. Please accept me as your student."

"Very well, I'll notify your father that I have accepted you as a student. Now, I have a request for you. Would you be willing to tutor Ranma in some subjects he needs help with? This is not a condition to be my student, but, it is a way to help both Ranma and I. You're more familiar with the current curriculum and the teachers than I am and it would benefit Ranma to have uninterrupted study sessions during clinic hours."

Ranma was once again imitating a koi and this time Akane was giggling.

"So, I'll be the senior student teaching the junior student. I can do that. Can I use Mr. Mallet to keep his mind on his studies?"

Now, Ranma was looking wild-eyed at Tofu in panic, Tofu chuckled as Akane gave a low sinister laugh and tried to put Ranma's fears to rest.

"Akane, show Ranma what mallet you're talking about and don't bring out Maximus Mallet either."

"Aw, you spoiled my fun. Okay, this is my attention getter mallet."

Akane reached out and tapped Ranma lightly on the head with a gavel-sized mallet. Ranma sighed in relief and relaxed.

"Whew! That's not so bad, although, you know you could just give me a dope slap..."

Akane gave him one.

"Ow! What was that for?"

With an innocent look on her face, Akane said, "You asked me to."

To curtail an impeding argument, a straight-faced Tofu decided to bring the conversation back to a sensei/student level by asking Akane one simple question.

"What is your goal in becoming my student?"

"I want...no, I need to complete my training in the school of Tendo Anything Goes. I am the heiress of the Tendo Dojo and must have my mastery to continue my school."

Ranma looked over at her with a brooding expression. Tofu saw Ranma's expression and rather than guess about his frame of mind he decided to ask him what was bothering him.

"Ranma, what Akane said about her goal seems to be bothering you. Would you mind telling us what it is?"

"I'm beginning to wonder if the Anything Goes School is worth it, if she's another example of it's sensei."

Akane face-faulted and began stammering at Ranma. She had, as usual, misunderstood what someone had said and believed it was personal assault. She couldn't believe this boy was saying **HER **school wasn't worthy. That meant he thought **SHE** wasn't worthy. Suddenly, there was a touch on the back of her neck and it was like a bucket of water quenched the growing fury. Dispassionately, she listened to Tofu and Ranma talk.

"Ranma, I believe Akane was beginning taking it as an insult to her and her school. Did you mean to insult her?"

"Huh! I just met her, why would I insult her? I was just thinking how similar our situations are. We were both abandoned by our sensei. Our training is incomplete and we needed to find another sensei. If it had happened to just me, I wouldn't think too much about it, but, to have **both** sensei of the Anything Goes school treat their students like this. Doesn't that seem like the school has something wrong with it? I mean, we're both suppose to carry on the schools after all, shouldn't a sensei want to see his school continued?"

Listening dispassionately, Akane could see Ranma's point. It wasn't a personal attack on her, but, it was an accurate attack on both their schools. She suddenly realized that she was angry at her father for the wrong reason. Her **sensei **should have explained why he could no longer train her and place her with another sensei to complete her training. She needs to be angry at the sensei, not the parent. She felt another touch on the back of her neck.

"I apologize for pressing that shiatsu point, Akane. I needed you to clearly hear what Ranma was saying uncolored by emotion."

"It's okay, sensei. You just proved that I need to listen before acting. Ranma didn't say anything that isn't true for both schools."

Tofu had been watching Akane's aura while Ranma spoke. He could see that she had an epiphany and a fiery core of anger she had for years died to smoldering embers. He knew from speaking with her that she was angry with her father for not being there when she needed him after her mother died. She also was resentful for his failure to finish her training, while proclaiming she had a duty to be the next master of the Tendo school of Anything Goes. As he would be her sensei, he needed to speak to her about any issues that might affect her focus on training, but, he can wait for another day to do that.

"Well, I've been away from the clinic long enough, I need to see if any patients have showed up. Ranma, how about you walk Akane to her house, maybe if you're nice and polite, she'll show you the dojo."

"Doc, it's almost closing time! Shouldn't I stay and help with clean-up?"

Tofu struggled to keep a straight face. Ranma was looking a little wild-eyed at the prospect of having to walk the volatile girl anywhere. Ranma was getting used to being around other people, but, he was still unsure of how to interact with them. He was very confident in situations he was familiar with, but, put him into unfamiliar situations and he would go all macho to cover up his shyness and insecurity. Tofu knew what he was doing was the equivalent of pushing a baby duck into an alligator infested swamp, but, Ranma needed to begin stepping outside his comfort zone.

"It'll be alright, Ranma. I have cleaned up the clinic by myself before, you know. Akane, Ranma has had limited experience being around other people or living in town, so things you take for granted might be unfamiliar to him. Treat him gently and with patience."

"No mallets?"

'No mallets."

Akane let out a sigh and motioned a wary Ranma to follow her. Both Akane and Ranma bowed to their sensei and then left the backyard of the clinic. Tofu watched as the teenagers walked down the street, a careful arms-length apart. Ranma had walked around the local area before and had a nodding acquaintance with some of the residents. Those residents, young and old, hadn't made any overtures of a more personal nature because they were wary of the outsider. They were cutting him some slack because he was living with the doctor, but, they would wait for him to introduce himself. This social stalemate would have continued if a third party hadn't intervened. Akane was a local and knew many of the people they met on the walk to her house, frequently she was asked about her companion and she introduced Ranma to them. Ranma was becoming more relaxed as the walk progressed, he hadn't realized how comforting it could be to be accepted by the neighborhood. In the past, he and his sensei would enter a town and the residents were so wary of them, he could feel their distrustful eyes watching their every move until they left.

Akane had been watching Ranma out of the corner of her eye since they began walking to her house. Not having the 'benefit' of his years of experience of being attacked unexpectedly, she didn't realize why he was so uptight about walking down the street. When they first started out, he had been tense and constantly scanning the surroundings for threats. Gradually, he seemed to relax and was taking an interest in the walk to her house. Unconsciously, he had begun walking by her side at a comfortable distance for conversation. She didn't know what to think of his behavior, it was her neighborhood and her neighbors after all, it's not like ninjas would suddenly attack. Ranma noticed that Akane had been keeping an eye on him as they walked down the street. Previous to his abandonment, his ego would've convinced him it was due to his charm and good looks. Now, he recognized it as prudence on her part as he was still a stranger to her. Tofu had vouched for him, but, she would make her own judgment of him, just as he'd make his judgment of her. He just hoped he wouldn't make a mistake and lose a friend.


End file.
